GEORGE TOWN, Nov 22 — Penang has the highest paddy production in the country for six consecutive years since 2018, state executive councillor Fahmi Zainol told the state legislative assembly today.

The agrotechnology, food security and cooperative development committee chairman said paddy production in the state reached RM190.8 million in 2022.

"Despite having fewer paddy fields, Penang has continued to remain first in terms of bulk annual production,” he said in his winding up speech.

He said the high annual yields was due to the state’s initiatives in allocating incentives and assistance to farmers.

"In 2023, the state government allocated a total of RM500,000 to the paddy development project through the Agriculture Department,” he said.

He said another RM440,000 additional allocation was channelled to the Agriculture Department to curb weeds from growing in paddy fields.

He said Penang also recorded the highest aquaculture production in the country valued at RM681.2 million in 2022.

"Overall, the fisheries sector in Penang generated a total revenue of RM1.18 billion for 2022,” he said.

He said Penang ranks second in terms of sea caught yields.

He said the Fisheries Department aims to strengthen the tuna industry in Penang as the state is gazetted as a tuna port. The only other place that is gazetted as one currently is Langkawi.

"Our goal is to bring in 3,000 metric tonnes of tuna, fished from the Indian Ocean, to land at the Penang Port in Dermaga Air Dalam in Butterworth next year,” he said.